Kurdologist van Bruinessen says: "Turks and Kurds Must Trust Each Other - by Nilüfer ZENGIN
“In the history of the Republic of Turkey, Kurds have never been able to be Kurds with their cultural identities. They were always officially Turks, but there was still always a feeling that ‘they are Kurds, they cannot be trusted.’” Prof. Dr. Martin van Bruinessen is a sociology lecturer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Yogyakarta University in Indonesia. In a conversation with bianet, he discussed possible solutions to the Kurdish issue and the approach of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).Middle class Kurds are happy about the AKP’s investment initiatives in the Southeast. The AKP takes this middle class into consideration, but the poor Kurdish class still remains poor. On the other hand, the AKP is inclined to recognise Kurdish cultural rights, it approaches the issue from a perspective of ‘Muslim brotherhood.’ However, there is also pressure from the public. If they were a Kemalist party, it would be different, but the AKP accepts the Kurds because they are Sunni Muslims. There could for instance easily be Kurdish religious broadcasts on television. However, autonomy is difficult, as the AKP does not look on such a project favourably.
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